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Indicators are not just to alert other drivers, as a pedestrian most of the time (when I'm not on the bus) I find it really annoying when drivers turn onto a road I'm about to cross without any indication

Indicators are not just to alert other drivers, as a pedestrian most of the time (when I'm not on the bus) I find it really annoying when drivers turn onto a road I'm about to cross without any indication

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Yup. They're for other road users, no matter what form that road usage takes.

I seem to be at the other end of the scale, I indicate regardless of if there is anyone behind to see the signal.

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Me too.

Another thing that annoys me, particularly in darkness at night, is the driver who does not know he/she has a handbrake and sits with his/her foot on the footbrake while waiting at traffic lights or road junctions, dazzling the driver behind with the glare of high intensity brakelights. Morons.

Indicators are not just to alert other drivers, as a pedestrian most of the time (when I'm not on the bus) I find it really annoying when drivers turn onto a road I'm about to cross without any indication

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I so agree! I'm afraid I 'indicate' my disapproval to them as I jump backwards!

I always try to indicate when leaving a roundabout, the "try" bit is because my indicator switch is getting a bit worn and will cancel at the slightest course correction, often leaving no time to re-indicate before needing both hands on the wheel for the turn. Unless, of course, you're one of those drivers who only use one hand on the wheel.

Having ridden motorcycles for decades, indicating is an almost instinctive action.
What slightly irritates me, are drivers waiting at traffic lights who (on level ground) engage the handbrake, put the car in neutral but don't watch the traffic lights or brake lights of the 1 or 2 vehicles ahead of them, so that as a consequence, 3 or 4 fewer vehicles then get through the lights once they have changed.

In some countries, (eg France?) there is a secondary smaller set of lights about a metre above the ground. Presumably, these are so that those right next to the lights, know the larger lights have changed, but can't see they have, because of the pillars and rooflines on cars.

Somewhat more 'interesting', is that in some Asian countries the traffic lights have a countdown function, great for their impatient drivers, but probably hair-raising for some pedestrians!

Another thing that annoys me, particularly in darkness at night, is the driver who does not know he/she has a handbrake and sits with his/her foot on the footbrake while waiting at traffic lights or road junctions, dazzling the driver behind with the glare of high intensity brakelights. Morons.

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Before you judge the driver be aware that Jaguar have designed their "Eco Stop/Start" system to shut the engine down when the vehicle stops and to restart when the brakes are released. Using the park brake, and thus releasing the foot brakes, results in the engine restarting. Yes it is a poor design. The fact that the Highway Code suggests that this is poor practice is ignored.

On the subject of roads, I get really annoyed by road works, with temporary traffic lights, where I get held up only to reach the site and find nobody actually doing any work. If your works are going to cause disruption you really need to be working 24/7 to get them completed. Obviously only where that is legal.

Countdown's on pelican crossings to help pedestrians know how much longer they have are commonplace around my way- they were installed when the Olympics came to town and every time a crossing gets upgraded they're put in

Before you judge the driver be aware that Jaguar have designed their "Eco Stop/Start" system to shut the engine down when the vehicle stops and to restart when the brakes are released. Using the park brake, and thus releasing the foot brakes, results in the engine restarting. Yes it is a poor design. The fact that the Highway Code suggests that this is poor practice is ignored.

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Are you sure, Geoff?

My engine cuts out when I stop (unless I am using a lot of electrical equipment such as demisters, blowers,etc.). But it is not releasing the brake that re-starts the engine; it is depresing the clutch pedal to move into gear.

With very few exceptions (Austin A35 and one early Land Rover spring to mind), all the vehicles I have ever driven have allowed me to operate the indicator stalk with both hands on the steering wheel.

Cheers,

R.

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Didn't the A35 have the indicator switch on the central boss of the steering wheel? I suppose that counts as taking one hand off the rim of the wheel to use it.

With several older cars I retro-fitted (horrible term) flashing indicators to replace trafficator arms. I had to fit the switch on the dash, thus necessitating removing a hand from the wheel to indicate but, on the other hand, they were not self-cancelling, so avoided the problem experienced by DaveS.

Also bear in mind that, in the days when I passed my driving test (and I assume Roger H), a compulsory component of the test was sticking one's arm out of an open window to give hand signals for turning and for slowing down, so removing a hand from the wheel was obligatory.

My engine cuts out when I stop (unless I am using a lot of electrical equipment such as demisters, blowers,etc.). But it is not releasing the brake that re-starts the engine; it is depresing the clutch pedal to move into gear.

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Absolutely sure! The Jaguar XF, until the 2016 model, wasn't available with a clutch and even now manual models of the XE and XF are rare with none available for the XJ.